Joshua Zamrycki's Weblog

Wow, that was a crazy couple of weeks. I can’t remember the last time my kids didn’t feature in a single entry on the front page of this blog (that should change very soon). Things really came to a head when I found myself in the heat of planning both my birthday lip dub and the auditions for my next play at the same time. Both needed an insane amount of preparation and didn’t leave me with much time for blogging (or anything else!). But the preparation paid off and I am very happy with the way things turned out. The lip dub was a huge success and I am overjoyed with the casting for our new show. Maybe now I’ll be able to get back to documenting the minutia of my kids’ lives and uploading the endless photos that have been sitting stagnant on my computer for the better part of a year.

Things to look forward to in March? The Foreigner is in full rehearsals as we prepare for our May(?) performances. Sebastian is enjoying his first month as a two-year-old. We might be going on a family ski trip. GG and Aunt Amy will be coming to visit. I’ve got my 2011 fantasy baseball draft. And I’ll be filming my humble part in the new Robert De Niro/Sigourney Weaver film. Watch this space!

This is how I decided to celebrate my birthday this year:

It was a crazy idea that somehow got planted in my head ages ago and refused to leave me in peace until I did something about it. Thank goodness I have the right mix of nutty (and trusting) friends to humor me and play along.

So thank you, everyone who helped make this happen. To all of you who showed up, having no idea what a lip dub was or what I would be asking of you. To all of you who brought shiny wigs, plastic swords, and over-sized glasses. To all of you who rocked out like superstars to my terrible singing while I squatted and ran behind that wimpy boombox. To all of you who babysat, sat in boats, painted signs, toiled off-camera, got dirty, got bored, and got cold. To all of you: thank you.

Same time next year?

Hello, rock stars!

Thank you, everyone, for voting! The polls are now closed and we have our winners. This Sunday, February 13, we will be singing Hey Ya by Outkast in the Parc del Laberint d’Horta (Labyrinth Park)!! Probably.

The vote for the song actually ended in a tie between Hey Ya and Blame it on the Boogie, so I subtracted the votes cast by friends and family from other countries who won’t be with us on Sunday. It only seemed fair.

The Labyrinth Park won convincingly, but I need to now scope out the location and make sure we’re allowed to film there and that there’s a decent lunch option nearby. If there are any problems, we’ll have to settle for the runner up (Parc de la Ciutadella). I’ll confirm everything in a couple of days. But mark your calendar, nonetheless!

In the meantime, you might as well start to familiarize yourself with the song. Here are the song and the lyrics. But don’t worry about memorizing the whole thing. We’ll each only have a very small portion in the final video and I don’t want anyone to get sick of the song before Sunday.

I’m very happy that so many people are excited about this little experiment of mine. I really hope it turns out well and, more importantly, that we have fun doing it! The truth is, I have no idea what’s going to happen

Outkast – Hey Ya

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One, two, three, (uh)!

My baby don’t mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know for sure.
(Uh) But does she really wanna
But can’t stand to see me
Walk out the door.
Don’t try to fight the feelin’
‘Cause the thought alone
Is killing me right now.
(Uh) Thank God for mom and dad
For sticking two together
‘Cause we don’t know how. (Uh)

[Chorus]
Hey… Ya…
Hey Ya…
Hey… Ya…
Hey Ya…
Hey… Ya…
Hey Ya…
Hey… Ya…
Hey Ya…

You think you’ve got it
Oh, you think you’ve got it
But got it just don’t get it
Til’ there’s nothing at all. (Ah)
We get together
Oh, we get together
But separate’s always better
When there’s feelings involved. (Oh)
If what they say is “Nothing is forever”
Then what makes, then what makes, then what makes
Then what makes (what makes, what makes)
What makes love the exception?
So why-oh-why-oh why-oh-why-oh-why-oh
Are we so in denial
When we know we’re not happy here?
Y’all don’t wanna hear me; you just wanna dance.

[Chorus]
Hey Ya… (Oh oh)
Hey… Ya… [(Oh oh) Don’t want to meet your daddy (oh oh)]
Hey Ya… [Just want you in my Caddy (oh oh)]
Hey… Ya… [(Oh oh) Don’t want to meet yo’ mama (oh oh)]
Hey Ya… [Just want to make you cumma (oh oh)]
Hey… Ya… [I’m... (oh oh) I’m... (oh oh)]
Hey Ya… [I’m just being honest (oh oh) I’m just being honest]

Hey, alright now,
Alright now, fellas! (Yeah!)
Now what’s cooler than bein’ cool? (Ice Cold!)
I can’t hear ya,
I say what’s… what’s cooler than bein’ cool? (Ice Cold!)

Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright–
Okay, now ladies! (Yeah!)
Yeah we gonna break this thang down in just a few seconds
Now don’t have me break this thing down for nothin’
Now I wanna see y’all on yall’s baddest behavior!
Lend me some suga’, I am your neighbor!
Ahh, here we go now!

Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it (oh oh), shake, shake it,
Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it, shake it,
Shake (oh oh), shake it,
Shake it like a Polaroid picture.
Hey Ya.

Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it, shake, shake it,
Shake it, shake it,
Shake it (here we go), shake it,
Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Now all the Beyonces and Lucy Luis
And baby dolls, get on the floor
(Get on the floor)
You know what to do… (ha ha ha)
You know what to do…
Yoooou know what to do!

[Chorus continues until fade]
Hey ya…

The location should have character, allow for a fairly long route, be accessible, have a decent restaurant nearby for lunch, and maybe have a few hidden nooks and crannies to explore. Where do you want us to film? Choose wisely – you can only vote once!

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The song should be upbeat, mainstream, have fun lyrics to sing, and really make you wanna get up and dance. Which song do you want us to sing? Choose wisely – you can only vote once!

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Excellent suggestions have been made, choices have been meticulously whittled down, polls have been painstakingly created, and you are now free to vote! The polls for my birthday lipdub can be found in the blog entries to follow.

Make sure to cast your vote by this Sunday!

Now is also a good time to send me an email and let me know if you think you’ll be able to participate or not. I’d like to get a rough idea of how many people to plan for.

Speaking of participation, I have received numerous questions from people asking if it would be OK to bring children, other friends, or Ed’s cousin Dan to the lipdub. The answer is NO! No, I’m just kidding. I’m looking forward to having the kids do something wildly inappropriate in the video. The more the merrier!

Also in the news, we have a fancy camera for the video. Thanks, Emma! Now we just need someone to operate it. Any takers? We also have some funky costumes. Thanks, Emma and Amber!

We also need a steadicam. Trust me, it will make all the difference. But instead of buying a 1000 euro piece of equipment, I’m thinking we can build one! Do we have any volunteers? Please? You can consider it a birthday present, if you like. I’ll even pay for it! Just do a Google search for “how to build a steadicam” and you’ll find all sorts of cheap and relatively easy options. Please.

I’ll write once again on Monday to let you all know the final results of the polls and to see if anyone would like to help with the planning/choreography.

Soooo excited.

I am planning a birthday party for myself. We’ll be celebrating on Sunday, February 13th (my birthday is actually on the 16th). Well, it won’t be a party, per se. It will be more like a music video. A lipdub, to be precise.

What is a lipdub? Don’t ask me, ask Wikipedia.

Here’s a simple example (and one of my favorites). And the behind the scenes.
Here’s another good example. And it’s own making of.
Here’s a local example.
This is how Catalunya (Vic) does it.
And how about this for a memorable event?
If you really want to get creative, you can do ambitious stuff like this.

If you want more, there are a whole bunch more here. Or here!

After all those links, you must be really stoked about the idea. Or totally sick of it. Come on, indulge me – it’s my birthday, goddammit! Here’s where we go from here:

In every good lipdub, you need to decide on a good song and a good location. The song should be fairly well known, have fun lyrics to sing, and really make you wanna get up and dance. The location should have character, allow for a fairly long route, have a decent restaurant nearby for lunch, and maybe have a few hidden nooks and crannies to explore. So step one is up to you all. I will create an online poll where we can all vote for the best ideas. On Sunday, February 13, I will perform the lipdub of the winning song at the winning location with a close group of friends.

I imagine the actual day of the event will go something like this:
- rehearse (and schmooze and drink)
- eat a fine lunch
- shoot the video

Oh, and even though it’s my birthday, I don’t want the video to be a “birthday lipdub”. I’m just using the occasion as an excuse to attempt something that’s been in the back of my mind for a while now.

Happy birthday to me.